Longtime Miami (Ohio) basketball coach dies

CINCINNATI – Longtime Miami (Ohio) basketball coach Charlie Coles, the school’s all-time leader in victories, died Friday in Oxford, Ohio, the school said. He was 71.

No cause of death was reported immediately, but Coles had a long history of heart issues.

Known for his colorful wit and a coaching competitiveness as the mid-major Redhawks often scheduled national powers for their nonconference games, the two-time Mid-American Conference coach of the year had 263 victories at Miami. He also was the Mid-American Conference’s all-time leader in conference wins with 218. He had a career record of 355-308 over 22 seasons at Miami and Central Michigan.

“The basketball world lost one of its great ambassadors in Charlie Coles today,” University of Kentucky coach John Calipari said in message via his Twitter account. “As a player, coach, mentor and teacher, no one was better than Charlie. He was a true, compassionate competitor who will be missed.”

Coach Mick Cronin of the University of Cincinnati expressed condolences to Coles’ widow and family in a statement.

“He was a great coach and even better person,” Cronin said. “Coach had the ability to make everyone smile and always wanted to help those around him ... his passing is a tremendous loss for the coaching community.”

Coles retired in March 2012, following the Redhawks’ first-round loss at Toledo in the first round of the conference tournament.

He coached Miami for 16 seasons, with a record of 263-224.

Coles’ Miami team made a longshot run into the NCAA tournament’s round of 16 in 1999, led by future NBA forward Wally Szczerbiak. Miami lost to Kentucky.

It was one of three NCAA tournament appearances for Miami under Coles, and his team also twice played in the NIT. His first Miami team made the tournament in 1997 with a 21-9 record, the most victories ever by a first-year Miami coach.

Coles had heart problems for years, missing the end of the 2008-09 season because of health problems. He had four operations in the next few months, one to reshape his heart. He recovered and returned to coaching, getting a contract extension.

The school hired John Cooper from Tennessee State last year to succeed him.

Coles is survived by his wife Delores, son Chris and daughter Mary Bennett, and four grandchildren, the school said.

“He loved his family,” said Chris Mack, coach of Xavier University. “I will never forget his grandkids sitting on his lap at press conferences.” Mack in a statement called Coles “a shining example of what all coaches should strive to be.”

The Yellow Springs, Ohio, native was a star Miami player in the early 1960s, averaging 18.5 points a game his junior year with a 50.3 field goal percentage.

His jersey was retired by Yellow Springs High School, and he was inducted into the Miami University Hall of Fame.

He also continued to teach during his coaching career, conducting a basketball coaching theory class at Miami. His players regularly scored above national averages academically, Miami said Friday.